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Trouble In Paradise
---- Quality Time The sun began to rise as a large Marine ship sat, docked in an island harbor. It had arrived about an hour ago and cargo was still being removed from it. The island itself was known as Cassiopeia. It was a lovely island whose ports were usually frequented by the Marines. It contained a lush and less explored countryside, home to many villages. The coast though was where all the money went. Within this costal town sat a cafe with pristine white walls and blue accents all over. It was positively ravishing. There at one of the many two person tables, situated in the outside sun, were two red haired Marines. The much taller one wore an entirely black outfit with a large brimmed black hat. He sipped a glass of wine calmly as he watched the ship. "Pretty gorgeous out here isn't it." He spoke to the girl across from him. The wind breezed by, raising Naosaki Jun's scarlet locks slightly as she took a sip of her wine, just like her superior. She donned her usual marine outfit, though, as mentioned, her hair was not in a bun this time. With her free hand, Jun took a strand of her hair behind her ear, "Indeed, this place is quite nice!" She beamed, lips curved up and eyes wide. Truly, she would have paid much attention to the place around them should they not be on a mission at that moment. At that, Jun's thoughts drifted back to Bluenote, where their previous mission took place. Nevertheless, it seemed this new one would be more rowdy than that one. "When is our time due?" She closed one eye, the other glancing at her partner. "We've got a little more time to relax before we head inland. I'll be teleporting us there so time isn't really critical." He hummed, taking another sip of his wine. "You think we should have killed that guy back on Bluenote?" It came out of nowhere but it had been on Valentine's mind. The whole island was like a stain on the earth and they had left it after seeing it was even more terrible. "You heard him too right, before we entered." Jun hummed at the statement, "That's okay, seems this ability really comes in handy then." She closed both eyes, taking the opportunity to sip all of her wine before she continued. "...I'm not sure, nyan, while I certainly disliked him... we have to take into account the consequences of our actions." Jun clapped her hands, opening her eyes as she glanced around. "I don't know if the Fleet Admiral would even mind. He doesn't seem the most keen on word nobles. Likes em more than me though." Valentine sighed. "Sickens me that those kinds of people "rule" the world. There's nothing noble about them." He eyed Jun. "He was a bit too excited to see us. I bet those drinks were spiked." At the mention of Kurama, Jun narrowed her eyes, "Um, I can't disagree that that's a bad point... but, aren't the Nobles above him?" She tapped a finger to her chin, "It never sat well with me..." Jun glanced down, memories flashing through her mind. "But... it'd take quite something to take them all down..." A sigh she didn't know she was holding escaped her lips. "Oh, yes!" Jun beamed, she could known about the drinks after all, "They had something inside!" She tapped at her nose before Valentine asked anything else. "Maybe Myoubu-san will take care of that man, he is often sent to take care of those nobles." "Myobu definitely felt it too." Valentine nodded. "The nobles are above both of them but they're fearsome and they know shit too. I mean if the Marines turned on the nobles they'd only have CP-9 through 0 to aid them. We'd decimate them. Heck I think even I could destroy Mariejois." He continued. "The only reasons it's still standing is cause the marines side with them for whatever reason." He stood from the table walking up the the register and paying for both their meals. He sat back in his chair and downed the rest of his drink. "I suppose I should tell you why we're here huh." At his own nod, Jun nodded, "Again, I can't disagree with that... but, wouldn't we be just like Pirates, using might to resolve things?" She doozed off, it was not that they enforced that same treatment upon the pirates, but... she just... she just didn't know what to think. "Let's close this off," Jun muttered, they would need clear heads for their mission. Eyes perking up, Jun glanced at Valentine as he commented, "Ohhhh? Please, yes-nyan! I only agreed without knowing because it's you, Sir." She smiled, truly, if Valentine came himself and called for her, this was one important mission. "That's what I like to hear." Valentine replied, patting her head and giving her hair a small tussle. "While we were on Bluenote I felt like someone was watching us. It was odd but I couldn't exactly place the feeling. Then I get an anonymous report about a religious group called Paradiso. I'm fairly certain the two are connected so I looked into Paradiso. They've been spreading themselves around all of the Grand Line. While they don't seem very dangerous we really don't know much about them. From what I've gathered though they operate in a hierarchy with people known as Archbishops being the top operatives that move around outside of their hidden base." He went on, leading her away from the shop and to a clear dock. "I've been gathering intel and it seems that one of the Archbishops is currently operating on the countryside of Cassiopeia. I'm hoping to confront them and possibly get some information." He spoke. Such gesture made Jun purr, and also prompted her to wonder just how much of a cat she had been embodying, "I felt some strange scents in there, but, I never thought it would be any of those religious people." She replied at his mention of Paradiso, truth be told, she didn't know much about them, other than the fact they used force and religion. "Hierarchy, huh." Jun glinted, but, it had been no surprise, even Pirates managed to organize their crews, of course a rogue group would as well. She accompanied Valentine as he exited the place, "Both a reconaissance and infiltration mission, then." Jun noted, glancing around not only with her eyes. Turning back at Valentine, Jun asked, "Sir, do you have any exact plan to approach this person?" She figured if he hadn't thought yet, she would help him, they were together on this after all. He didn't need to sustain everything in his shoulders ever. "Well we're gonna have a chat and see how touchy this Archobishop is about me getting some information. And I think we can go from there." Valentine stated rather calmly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Immediately the scenery around them warped from the luxurious coastline to a humble and rural countryside. Small cottages dotted the rolling hills and forests weaved in and out of view past them. A couple people wanderer along the dirt roads in their sight. One in particular would catch their eyes though. Dressed in a flowing black robe with a warped collar and a shaved head, stood a woman holding a shakujō. "There we are, that's gotta be her." Valentine spoke, pointing a finger at the woman. Messengers of Heaven "Sure!" Jun beamed, having gotten used to Valentine's method of transportation as he proceeded to use it. This place reminded her of Bluenote's jungle, but, it seemed way more alive, birds singing, insect noises... Its scent made her take in a deep inhale, closing her eyes. At his remark, Jun's eyes shot open, "Oh! That was quick!" Her fist met her open palm as she beamed at the situation. Jun catiously walked towards the woman, waving at her gently, "Excuse me?" She put strands of her hair behind her ear and smiled at the woman, in the hopes that the women would talk back. Valentine stayed back and watched as Jun walked down the path to approach the woman, eyeing the two. The woman turned and took her hands, greeting Jun. "Hello there young one, what can I do for you? Do you need medicine or healing?" She spoke before noticing the girls attire and the man up the hill. "Oh." She spoke, releasing her hands and stepping away. "Oh, I see you are with the Marines. What are you two doing this far inland?" Jun didn't know how to feel at Valentine staying back, maybe it was his way of trusting her and leaving this in her hands. Maybe not? She knew him pretty well, but, sometimes, she felt as if she couldn't say that. Those thoughts were of no use now, "Nyagugugu, none of that, Miss, I just wanted a few directions, if it is no bother! My name is Naosaki Jun," Jun smiled, waving her hands around as she stood straight before the woman. "Me and my superior have come to this island in an important mission. You see, people have reported strange sightings of robed people, and we came here to investigate!" Her eyes narrowed and her mouth went into an o'', "Would you have any information?" "Nice to meet you Jun, I am Deleny Mariah." Her voice was calm but weary. "I assume the robed figure you are looking for is myself. I'm a member of Paradiso, we are a peaceful organization out to help the world. I am currently traveling across this island to heal the sick." The woman spoke, looking back at Jun's superior. "Now what do you and your very, shy superior want to talk with me about?" She spoke aloud so the man could hear them. "Is he going to just stand there?" With that statement, Jun's eyes widened slightly, that had been faster than she had anticipated, "Oh, I see..." She muttered, the back of her fist scratching her chin. "I have heard about you times and times, but, not that much... I applaud your actions, however, not many care for the people around them-nyan!" Jun clapped her hands calmly. Turning her head at Valentine and then at Mariah, Jun replied, "I am not exactly sure, pardon me, but," She gestured for Valentine to come closer at them and bowed. "He said he had heard things, too, about your group." "Why thank you," Mariah replied. "Most make assumptions about us without knowing much." She spoke, noting the surprise in Jun. It was then that the man on the hill began to approach them. His movement was swift and his demeanor was off-putting to say the least. "''Is that him?" She questioned herself as the man reached Jun's side. He stood at least two heads taller than both of them. "Paradiso, a religious organization that believes devil fruits were created by their god." Valentine spoke, lifting the brim of his hat to reveal his exposed eye. "I'm quite certain you already know who I am but I'll introduce myself anyways. Vice Admiral Valentine is my name." "Akaoni." Mariah responded, narrowing her eyes and stepping back from them. "What business do you have with Paradiso?" "Don't play coy with me, Archbishop Maraih. You're aware why I'm here, I can feel it." His monotone voice filling the air. "It wasn't you, but one of yours was following us on Bluenote. Listening in to their conversation, Jun maintained her eyes steady and her lips thin, hands behind her back. Valentine stood as calm as always, it seemed, while Mariah seemed unnerved... Unconsciously, even if not, Jun released small bits of her aura from her body, bits which trvalled as if they were oxygen in a small area around them. It was not meant to protect, not to defend, but to sooth. So, turned out this person had been one of the Archbishops, Jun hadn't been taken aback, but, she was expecting her not to be a combatant. If the Archbishops were all fighters, that is. Jun released a breath she half-knew she was holding, as Valentine pointed out it had been someone else to observe them. "We-" Jun tried excusing herself in the conversation, "-would certainly like to talk with this person, if possible." She glanced at Mariah's face, not knowing what expression it would bear. "I myself, Commodore Jun, respect your views upon the world... and I want to seek out these answers." "If it was it's none of my business, I don't control everyone in Paradiso." Mariah gave Valentine a pointed look before turning to Jun. "I'm sure you do sweetie, bout as much as the next Marine." Valentine grinned triumphantly. "So it was someone above even you, good to know." The shock that crossed Mariah's face for a brief second confirmed it. "So who are they, those above you? Who was spying on us Mariah, I want answers." Valentine spoke, approaching her. "Back you fiend." Mariah shouted swinging her shakujō at his head. He grabbed it however, continuing the motion to toss her directly into the air. She corrected herself almost instantly and launched at him again from behind his head with her shakujō. Valentine did not move this time, instead the attack was blocked by a shield of colored ice. It seemed that a glowing figure stood beside him for a second as the ice shattered outwards, sending Mariah back to the ground. She touched down a distance away from them. "You're weaker than I expected Archbishop Mariah, more of a healer than a fighter I guess." Valentine taunted. "Just remember that you attacked me first." He grinned, looking to Jun. "I think you can take her, show me what you got huh. Just be careful, I'm fairly certain she has a devil fruit." Valentine spoke glaring back at Mariah. "You're gonna give us those names Archbishop, you won't have a choice." A wave of evil washed over them all briefly, the demon meant business." Teeth gritted, Jun dashed as soon as the people before her started to exchange blows, this was not right, this was too soon. They weren't supposed to be fighting nor killing each other, they only wanted answers, answers from Mariah, answers about what her companion might have been wanting. Concrete had sprung from her being ever since Jun lept forward, they got separated, and she used the opportunity to land between them. A small wall of concrete rose between her and Valentine, it is not that she didn't need his assistance, but, he would seriously try to kill Mariah. Even if he had been attacked first, he wouldn't hold out on his counter-attack, and for Jun, that is not how a Marine was to be. Jun supposed Valentine wouldn't be bothered by the wall, after all, he asked her to fight. Thus, a second later, her gaze went to Mariah's form, "Miss Mariah, I apologize for my senior's actions!" Jun yelled, as concrete exploded from the ground, but in such a manner, that it instead swam through the place and surrounded Mariah's figure. Some of it had also sprung from beneath her feet, looking to trap her in place as the one around her would complete the job, "I'm sorry, I only want to talk!" Jun put a hand over her own chest. Valentine smiled as Jun hopped between them, raising a concrete wall in front of him. "Well I want to see the show." He spoke calmly as he extended his hand and a small ember appeared on the tip of his finger. He gingerly tapped the wall as flames enveloped it, eating it away to nothing in an instant. Now with a full view of the scene, Valentine watched as concrete charged Mariah. "You don't have to apologize for me, I meant what I said to her." He called out. As the concrete erupted from the ground Mariah jumped into the air. As she did two massive multicolored wings burst from her back. With a single flap she rocketed even higher and dashed away from Jun and Valentine. "Yet you attempt to restrain me." Mariah shouted towards Jun, narrowing her eyes. "I see you have been quite blessed, but you're nowhere near as endowed as I am." She then opened her mouth letting out a massive sound wave that shot towards both Jun and Valentine. "Tch." Jun clicked her teeth as Valentine was back to watching it once again, if only he would do just that, she really hoped he would not interfere. Her eyes darted back at Mariah, whom had been moving around to avoid Jun's concrete attacks, "Yes! Please, I don't want any unnecessary bloodshed!" She gritted her teeth at this, why was she... It was not the time for that. A sound wave crashed against Jun's figure, sending chills and vibrations through her entire body. At the same time, she made concrete erupt from both her legs and back, "Lizard Wing!!!" Prompting it to pierce through the ground and sustain her. This would be troublesome, this woman's power was related to sound, a good counter against her own abilities. But, Jun would not be just any other Devil Fruit user, would not be just any other Commodore. Making sure all of the concrete she proceeded had been thick and connected to each piece, Jun sent forward a large wave of concrete by waving her hands. Alongside it, concrete sprung from the ground, being sent from her legs, and from above as some sort of rain, "Lizard Fury!!!" Jun yelled. The sound wave rushed through Jun and continued to charge at Valentine. The demon was not amused however. He quickly produced his fiddle and ran the bow across the strings. The noise met with the sound wave and both cancelled each other out, the air becoming still around him once again. Mariah did not respond but noted the two resisting her attack. In mere moments concrete began flying from above and below. "Trying to lock down my flight huh." She then dove towards Jun, weaving around the concrete as best she could, however it soon was filling too much of the air. She quickly wrapped her wings around herself and dove the the side. The concrete slammed against her wings as she powered through it, crashing to the ground a ways away. As she stood she noted that her wings were bleeding a little. "Seems real diplomatic to me." She growled. As she held her Shakujō out. It began to vibrate furiously in her hand as the smaller rings spread out and stood on their own, surrounding the bigger ring. It looked like a two dimensional mace now. With a flick of her wings she dashed at Jun, swinging her still vibrating weapon at her. "I respond with a mirror," Jun spat back at Mariah, moving her arms around in order to fasten the movement of her concrete, those which had missed Mariah's figure that is. The ones that passed by rushed back together in front of Jun's figure, prompting her to shape them into a shield. Haki began to cover her arms and descended into her forearms and hands, "Black Lizard Wing!" She said, pressing the shield forward with both her fists for it to smash against Mariah's vibrating hammer. Should the vibration pass through, she still had the wings on her backside, sustaining her from flying away and keeping the damage away from her, for the most part. As Jun tried both defending and attacking, more of her concrete sprung from the ground in the area, trying to surrounded Mariah once again. Mariah dove at Jun, cloaking her wings in haki and spinning once again, this time however the concrete shrapnel bounced off them. As she approached Jun's shield she coated her own weapon in haki, however it seemed to all be concentrated directly on the three rings that would hit the shield, creating a much stronger blow than if her haki had been spread throughout the whole weapon. She slammed her Shakujō into Jun's shield, black sparks flying and she also released the sound from within her weapon, aiming to penetrate the shield and shake Jun up. Gritting her teeth, Jun didn't even think on using her senses, as it was all natural. Both probably didn't have time to register whose Busoshoku had been greater and fiercer, as Mariah's sound attack went forth and broke Jun's wall into pieces, provoking a tremor throughout the area. "That's definitely clean," The wave had made most of the concrete rumble and travelled towards Jun's figure. Kenbunshoku had been constantly in use for Jun, even if it was mostly for sensing what people thought, and when danger came at her, both her senses and Haki flared up. "Though-" Instead of backing down, as soon as Mariah's weapon came through, Jun leaped forward, face bearing no important expression. Her back no longer conjointed with the wings, Jun left those as if they were a spiked wall behind her. Yet, even when she had done so, Mariah's weapon would find itself passing through her... as Jun deformed her own body around, utilizing a partial concrete shape to move herself slightly out of the weapon's reach. "-This is even cleaner!" With the suddenness of the situation, Mariah's weapon would connect itself with the spikes and concrete of Jun's former back wings, likely destroying the wall due to her wave power. For the moment that Mariah's weapon would be supposedly struggling against the concrete construct, Jun spun her body around, making concrete flare up from her body once again, in the form of restraining chains and constructs. "Lizard Embrace!" Most of which, seeked to conceal Mariah's mouth, which Jun deemed as the source of her vibration power. Mariah charged forwards, smashing through the shield and Jun, or so she thought. As Jun phased around her, Mariah groaned. Instead of changing her direction to chase Jun she slammed her Shakujō, using vibrations and her wings combined with her current momentum to launch herself into the air. She shot up, activating her Kenbunshoku haki to watch her back. She quickly turned to see a number of concrete projectiles once again bearing down on her. This time she did not charge but once again opened her mouth and let out a screech. As the sound waves met the concrete it began to slow and then fall back towards the ground, imbedding itself there. The sound wave bore down on Jun as it descended further. "Interesting." Valentine hummed, sitting upon the grass, drinking a bottle of wine. "She seems to be quite talented with her devil fruit and proud of it too." Teeth gritted, Jun narrowed her eyes as she glanced at Mariah's ascending figure, the woman's scream coming down upon her. Everything vibrates, depending on the scale of the quaking, Jun's concrete was no exception... but, the scale of the vibration also depended on the size of the target. Instead of letting go of the concrete, which was seemingly deemed useless due to Mariah's attack, Jun made sure to connect all of the concrete she had produced through the fight, something she had been doing as it progressed. They had collected and connected every time they broke. It was not something she thought of doing just then. "Lizard Spine!" Concrete spikes rose through the air to strike at Mariah. As the scream came soaring down, instead of Jun being crushed and her spikes being destroyed, she managed to shift her form into concrete itself once again. Instead of reforming around it, she provoked the rumbling to travel through her spikes and herself and then into the rest of the concrete below her and around the area. It completely dispersed the quaking of the scream, saving her rising spikes as they swiftly approached Mariah. Mariah stopped screaming and swiftly removed her robe, revealing a tighter and more combat oriented set of clothes beneath it. The robe was indeed oddly shaped to begin with, however as Mariah swing it off her and wrapped the top snugly around her shakujō it began to come together. As vibrations ran through the weapon the robe stood out surrounding the circular end of the shakujō like it was the clapper in a bell. "You've been throwing endless assaults of spikes at me all this battle. I've concluded that this is the answer to your entire fighting style." Mariah spoke, narrowing her eyes at Jun. As the spikes charged towards her, she held the new weapon up and swung downwards. The whole thing moved as almost a solid and as the bell passed the direction of Jun the clapper and the bell collided, creating a massive, ringing, sound wave. It wasn't continuous like the ones that came from Mariah's mouth but it was powerful. The concrete scattered like flies, blasting in every which way. The ground they hit dented and cracked and even the areas of the land simply hit by the sound shuddered and broke. "Not really," Jun mused, having heard the woman just fine. All the while she had produced another immense amount of concrete, which had been shaped into a long, but firm, polearm-like structure. It extended upwards, with Jun wasting no time and swinging the pole downards, due to its long-range it reached up to where Mariah was, but, most importantly, it had a large ending, in the form of a square boulder. Just when the concrete spikes would be scattered, Mariah would finish her attack, and presumably that would leave her open for another attack. With its long body, the hammer would quickly gain pushing force, aiming for a devastating blow. Jun still tried to wave the shockwaves off by connecting herself to the existing structures of concrete, but, even then, she found herself coughing a bit of blood and clenching her teeth. Jun had been premature in her actions, she would deem. After all, she was trying to use the random spikes to properly figure out how Mariah fought, but then, the woman just sprouted out another ability involved her clothing. Even so, Jun would only proceed, even if it was a bad decision, "Lizard SMASH!!!" She trailed the last word off, hoping to catch Mariah off guard. With her entire arsenal scattered to the wind Mariah was quite surprised to see a large battering ram of concrete already heading straight for her. There wasn't time to dodge away and the momentum from the swing had her stuck. A sound-wave from her mouth might break it but not stop the momentum. She quickly coated her wings in haki and curled them in front of her as the concrete smashed into them. The impact launched her back as she curled into a downward spiral she quickly re-oriented herself, her black wings returning to their colorful state as they held her in the air. The wings had negated most of the impact but she could feel a couple fractured bones as well as blood dripping from her face and legs. "Lizard crush, lizard kill, lizard destroy. You're attack names are brutish and unimaginative. You can't even specify the species." Mariah mocked as she let out a low pitch from her mouth, the sweet song swirled around her, bathing her in a green glow. The blood evaporated as her wounds healed and closed, her fractured bones mended and set themselves. Her entire body beamed as she grinned at Jun. "I've had enough of you but it is not my nature to lack mercy. Cease your attacks at once and we will both be on our ways. I do not wish to continue but I will if you make me." "Hah..." Jun panted as her hammer sent Mariah flying, a successful hit finally. Expression not changing at Mariah's comments, Jun spat some blood to her side, "Not bothered enough." She did wonder why the woman would want her to specify the lizards, though. Eyeing Mariah's revigorating herself, Jun's eyes widened, it couldn- Oh, she had offered a peace treaty, "Huh... it's what I've been telling you since the start of the fight, nyan." Jun said, licking some blood on her fist. "I shall retreat for now, but, will you tell us what we wanted at all?" She wouldn't be bothered with what Valentine thought, if he wanted her to continue and kill this woman, or whatever he had been thinking. This was the safest way. "Sure seemed like you wanted to stop when you were trying to impale me." Mariah responded before lowering her weapon. "I think I've made it clear that I won't divulge any information to you. So with that I bid you farewell." She spoke still floating within the air, staring in their direction. Valentine appeared next to Jun but said nothing, simply staring back at Mariah, awaiting both of their next moves. Unreachable Heaven "Tch..." Jun said nothing, letting go of the concrete around her, as it either crumbled or remainded still. It would lead to nothing, just unnecessary blood shed between them, as much of a fan she wasn't of Mariah's mockery. Turning at Valentine, Jun closed her eyes and commented, "I'm sorry, Sir, I no longer wish to go on with this fight, it's leading us nowhere." Her eyes opened, revealing glinted pupils. Valentine turned to look down at her, he grinned slightly and placed a hand on her head. "It's alright, you did well Kuroshoūo, It was wrong of me to make you fight this battle anyways. This is my problem, not yours." He patted her head before removing his hand and walking forwards. "Mariah you have one more chance to tell me what I want to know. I'm not joking." His usual voice was gone, that light hearted calm tone, that sweet-talking voice, all replaced by a demonic tone that sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it. Flames floated from his figure sizzling the air around him. He cupped his hands as massive amounts of hellfire began to swirl around him, pooling into them. Mariah shuddered at the man, no demon, his pure anger was definitely scary. His protege had given her some trouble, even at a disadvantage. Going up against the demon was clearly not an option. She could feel the power growing within his hands, her haki couldn't block that. She gritted her teeth in anger but spoke. "Fine fine, I don't know who surveyed you but I know it was a Cardinal, the highest member of our organization besides our leader. That was a show of my faith that you'll respect this ceasefire, any further information you'll have to drag from my corpse." At the scene happening before her, once again, Jun's expression changed very little. But, it wasn't because she was used to it, she definitely was not. It was more that, it happened so many times that Jun had trained her mind, her senses, to focus somewhere else, anywhere else, so that she didn't witness it. As soon as their "deal" had been made, had been solved, the amostphere undarkened and Jun glanced back at both. "A Cardinal, high rank..." She trailed off, eyelids half-way open as her fist rubbed against her chin. "That seems enough for me," Jun commented, staring at Mariah with soft eyes. "I can respect those who don't budge easily and give away their comrades." "As can I." Valentine spoke as the flames paused themselves. "However I have ways of dragging information from corpses." His voice slipping back to it's demonic tone as the fire roared back to life. "I'm going to ask you once again and you aren't going to answer, you're just stalling me aren't you." The demon narrowed his eyes as the flames subsided and he un-cupped his hands and within them sat a pulsing cross of hellfire, it radiated pure power. The cross floated from his hands and into the air above him before pointing itself towards Mariah. Just then a figure flashed into view and quickly tapped Mariah. The two of them vanished in an instant. Valentine saw it all happen but it was too quick, the figure could teleport as well. He had seen him though, and he was certain it was the man who had been trailing them. His face was radiating light, far to much to identify him. He was cloaked in a black hooded garb. "Damn it." Valentine cursed as he levitated the cross much higher into the air and pointed it upwards. It exploded into a massive cross of fire that shot far into the sky, the air around it burned as the trees and grass far below began to catch fire from the sheer heat and intensity of the attack. Valentine specially shielded Jun as the ground around her burst into flames. The attack eventually died out and Valentine quelled the raging fires he was clearly unhappy with the results of their exchange. "Wait-" Jun had said as Valenitne moved to attack Mariah, pressing her hand forward in an attempt to use her powers. But then, her eyes could only widen, as a flash engulfed their vision, temporarily blinding her. Good vision had its pros and cons, it seemed. Jun rubbed her sleeved forearm against her eyes, groaning. At Valentine's cursing, Jun glared at him, noticing that now they were both engulfed in flames. Before she would even use her concrete, Valentine had already taken care of it, unsurprisingly enough, it wasn't an extremely powerful attack. "What... who, was that the person whom you suspected?" She glanced at Valentine, her pupils trembling at the quickness of the events. Even with Kenbunshoku, it had happened so fast... "He's the cardinal Mariah was talking about, the person we've been searching for." He sighed, clearly angered at the man's escape. "It seems like he can teleport just like me, I'm lucky I mastered my Kenbunshoku, I managed to catch a glimpse of him. Black hooded robe, his face looked like it was just light shining out from under the hood. I'm thinking he has some sort of light based devil fruit." He pulled out a bottle of wine and took a mindless swig from it before offering it to Jun. Her eyes glancing at Valentine, Jun spoke, "Nyan, certainly not clean..." If he could indeed teleport just like Valentine could, it would come down to a battle between them. From the description, the man indeed seemed to be part of a religious cult, Jun would deem, "If he has a Logia, he likely has Haki to improve his usage of it..." She waved a hand at the bottle Valentine had offered. "Nyagugu, are we off to face against a large number of enemies?" Jun tried to beam, the man had taken Mariah with him as well, it was possible they would have to face her too. "The problem is that we don't know what they're after. I certainly don't like their attitude but they aren't directly harming anyone as far as I can tell. They just seem to really hate me, Mariah became very hostile as soon as she realized who I was. I guess it stands to reason that a religious cult wouldn't be too keen on a demon. I suppose we just have to wait for our next lead on them and see where it takes us." He took another swig from the bottle and went on. "If we end up facing them it will probably be on their home turf, against their cardinals and their leader." He sighed. "That's gonna be a hell of a time." Jun's eyes widened, as she took a step back, "S-Shouldn't we call for reinforcements then?" She reasoned, they couldn't go up against the full group just like that. And, even more because of what Valentine pointed out... they weren't directly harming anyone, even if they were directly opposing someone of the Law. "We should search around and see if the rest of the island is clean, then?" She pushed both her fists up, "I can't... exactly find them at this very moment." Jun sniffed the air itself, glancing around with even moving her head too much. "They're most likely long gone, I doubt their base would be anywhere near here. If his teleportation ability works like mine, they could be halfway across the world right now." He replied, "Our best bet right now is seeing if we can meet with my informant on the other side of the island. I sent her off to dig up some stuff a while ago, we were supposed to meet her after this. I imagine she's probably pretty worried after seeing that looming pillar of fire. I imagine most of the people here are." With a sigh, Jun closed her eyes, "I see..." She didn't have anything else to say, truth be told, and could only wail at their situation. At his comment, however, she lightened up slighty, "Oh, how clean! I forgot you had someone in here... we should be off to meet her with your powers, then-nyan?" Jun beamed, glancing at Valentine. She had stood close to him, on the chance that he would indeed use his powers and get them directly to wherever that person was. Their mission couldn't be cut so short, they had to reach somewhere. Daughter of the Demon Valentine nodded and placed his hand on Jun's shoulder. They were immediately whisked away from the scarred landscape and appeared within a bright town square. The people around them seemed quite startled but quickly went back to their shopping and chatting. The place was also bustling with fishmen, they were everywhere. A couple cafes were even being run and waited by them and there was a fishman clothing store off to the right of them. "This side of Cassiopeia is a large trading hub for fishmen, it's become more than that though. Traveling fishmen come here just to eat, shop, and relax without fear of prejudice. It's often populated with fishmen looking for sailing or navigation jobs as well." He informed Jun as he looked around the square, finally locking eyes with a young woman wearing a long white coat, reaching down to about her ankles, with large shoulder pads and a hat that looked like the ears of a rabbit. Her white hair contrasted her dark skin and yellow eyes. The woman paused a second before a wide grin bloomed on her face and she came dashing over. "Daddy!" She shouted happily as she jumped into Valentine's waiting arms. They hugged for a couple seconds before she let him go and turned to wave happily at Jun. "You remember Roxanne, right Jun. I sent her off after another Archbishop to gather some data for us." Valentine spoke, "I think the last time you two met she was still just an Ensign." Pupils darting around, Jun took in the scenario around them, marvelled at the thought of fishmen living peacefully somewhere else other than their homeland. Chin against hand, which she licked, Jun wondered if the Minks had any paradise like this, they were quite chased around in the past, probably still are... Eyes widened, Jun fixed her gaze on the girl that suddenly hopped on to Valentine, yet, they quickly softened as she remembered whom this was. She had been fond of Roxanne, she ressembled a cat just like her, almost as if they were distant relatives. "Cleaned spot on!" Jun beamed, pointing one finger up, "It's been a long time, Roxy!" She smiled, closing her eyes while talking to the girl. "How have you been, nyan?" Roxanne's eyes lit up as she turned to eye Jun, she had only been 16 the last time she'd seen her. "Jun!" She shouted in excitement, wrapping her in a big hug. "I've been doing great, finally made Captain just a month ago." She shouted, beaming with pride. "Then dad sent me on this mission and I finally got back to meet you two here." "Congrats, Roxy!" Jun smiled and returned the hug, also caressing the top of Roxanne's hair. "You've really grown a lot..." She noticed, "What have you been feeding her, Sir?" Jun snorted at Valentine, but ignored whatever his response was and went back to Roxanne. "Nevertheless, I am happy to receive your help, what have you got to show us?" "Mostly cuts and bruising." She replied, causing a concerned look to cross Valentine's face. "There was a fight then? Did you win?" He spoke, moving over to her. "I ran into one of the priests, they're three levels lower than the Archbishops, and everything was going smoothly. Then the guy I was looking for showed up. He was crazy, dude was decked out in full armor and cloth wrappings and shit, and his hair was huge!" She exclaimed, holding her hands dramatically over her head to show the size of the hair. "Not only that but his skin was like grey and sickly, he spoke a little but didn't say much. I tried to fight him but he was insane, he was moving at these crazy speeds and had this lance that created lightning and I think he also had a devil fruit. At one point he made me feel really sluggish and then threw this giant boulder at me like it was nothing. I think it had something to do with weight." "How did you get away?" Valentine interjected. "Oh I transformed fully and just ran away, thankfully he didn't try to purse me when I retreated. I managed to learn that the base is mobile though, the priest said something like good luck in catching it or something." "Well I'm glad you're okay." Valentine continued "Hopefully we can pick up another trail soon. The information we gathered was valuable though, good job to the both of you." He spoke, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "Drinks are on me." That was quite a lot of information, clean, at least, Jun deemed. It showed how Roxanne had grown, not only physically or mentally, but... in regards to fighting. As Valentine's "daughter", that was not unexpected, and she even gave them information on the opponent, which was more than expected. Smiling at Valentine's gentleness, Jun beamed, "We shall do our best, nyan." Her chin touched her rising left shoulder, while her eyes closed. Valentine had certainly not been the best person, the best mentor... but, she guessed that, just like all of them, he did errors. In this regard, they were no different to Pirates, who did a lot of mistakes... except, theirs were graver. A scent shifted within the island, and Jun cocked one eyebrow up, glancing to her side briefly. Roxanne did mention their base was moving all the time... so, maybe? Before reaching any conclusion, Jun questioned both, "Where to, now?" "Well according to my haki they've left the island, there's nobody here that matches what I've felt from them." Valentine shrugged. "We've gained some good information and it's not like they're really harming anyone, I just want to know why they were tracking us. For now though we can relax, if they come after us again now I'll know. They can't hide their souls from these eyes." "Wow Dad, you're amazing." Roxanne spoke in awe, before quickly turning towards a restaurant and smiling. "You said lunch was on you right." She laughed before dashing off towards the place. "Oh dear." Valentine chuckled as he watched Roxanne run off to presumably eat as much as she could on his dime. "Good work today Jun, you once again do not disappoint." Jun shrugged, if they were not here, it indeed was pointless for them to stay. They were Marines with proper jobs after all, couldn't just stand around. She beamed at Roxanne's admiration for Valentine, truly something which motivated the girl to train and train. "I suppose lunch will be fine." Jun crossed her arms in front of her chest, smiling. Eyebrow up, one eye glanced at Valentine, "Oh? Not calling me by that nickname of Salamander again?" Jun didn't really miss it, in fact, her mind was just too focused on the enemies that they may have faced, that she didn't acknowledge it when he said. "I do like it, though." She muttered, extremely low since it was mostly to herself. "Off to lunch then?" Jun waved at Valentine with a smile. "Glad you do, I think it's fitting." Valentine replied, "I'd like to keep calling you Jun unless you prefer I use Kuroshoūo though. I don't particularly like using titles much though, makes everything feel too much like a business meeting." He shrugged, beginning to walk over to the restaurant with Jun. "I'd like to make it known that I offered to buy drinks, not food." Jun snorted, "You choose, Sir, call me whichever of the two." She snuck her tongue out, eyes closed, but then, his other comment came. "Huuuh, then I guess I'll pay for our lunch!" They had been walking in direction to Roxanne, sure, they had jobs, but, they would relax for a few minutes, and laugh as much as they wanted. He waved his hand dismissively at her. "No it's fine, Roxanne has probably ordered half the menu on me, I'll buy you a meal as well." His calm face then turned to a wide joking grin as he looked to her. "Of course you'll have to pay me your sooouuuulll for it." He jested, wiggling his fingers dramatically as he did. "Thank you very much, but no, that's not clean!" Jun waved her hands, eyes wide and mouth trembling, "Cats ought to go to nyan-heaven!" She put both her arms up, almost shouting. "But, still, thank you, Sir." Jun smiled once again, he did know how to put her at ease. Category:Role-Plays Category:Role-Plays